Active Member

New Member

Geez, I'm interested, but there are so many fakes and reproductions out there. Some of them are really good, including rust or pitting to make something look authentic. So it takes a trained eye. Have you had this authenticated by a reputable historical firearms expert? I'm close to Eugene. PM sent.

Active Member

Geez, I'm interested, but there are so many fakes and reproductions out there. Some of them are really good, including rust or pitting to make something look authentic. So it takes a trained eye. Have you had this authenticated by a reputable historical firearms expert? I'm close to Eugene. PM sent.

Click to expand...

No, I haven't had it authenticated. I'm going to gunworks later today and will have them look at it though.

As far as it being a fake, Belgium was pretty much the king of old school saturday night specials and there wouldn't be much of a financial reason for anyone to have tried faking a gun like this. And as far as faking pitting, that'd be even more of a waste of time since that hurts value more than probably anything on a black powder gun since that's the biggest factor in whether or not it's safe to shoot or just a wallhanger. I don't think worm holes in the wood add to value either.

According to those websites, the gun could have been made yesterday or a really long time ago. I don't know for sure, but I know my uncle bought it in the '70s and it was in bad shape then. It looks nineteenth century to me though.

proof marks:
-oval with "ELG" over a star on the barrel
-what looks like a crown with a cursive "L" or something in front of trigger guard (inspector's mark?)
-brass cap on end of grip has a circle with an E in it, and what looks like 618 below it. It looks like there may have been some other numbers/letters below that at one time, but they're worn off now.
-has some other mark on the barrel near the thing the flint hits, but I can't tell what it is

WELCOME!

Northwest Firearms provides a place for gun owners of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho a place to converse,
organize, learn, educate, trade, and most importantly, work together to preserve our Second Amendment rights.

Participation is completely free and registration takes only a few moments.

About Northwest Firearms

We believe the 2nd Amendment is best defended through grass-roots organization, education, and advocacy centered around individual gun owners. It is our mission to encourage, organize, and support these efforts throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.